Created for professional paralegals -- not of a certain level, specialty or firm -- but of a particular attitude.

May 29, 2012

I'm on my soapbox today with a pet peeve. I noticed that some paralegals are putting "ABA Certified Paralegal" on their resumes, social media or announcing it to friends and employers. Here's a suggestion: Stop now while you still can! Save yourself some embarrassment or even keep yourself from getting rejected from a job!

The ABA does not offer certification. Certification is a process of taking a very rigorous exam that is based upon work experience and knowledge. It is not your final exam in paralegal school. Generally, you need to meet certain educational and work experience requirements, submit an application for approval, pay a fee and take the exam in a secured environment.

For example, The Organization of Legal Professionals, OLP, offers a certification exam in eDiscovery. National Association of Legal Assistants, NALA, and The National Federation of Paralegal Associations, NFPA ,both offer paralegal certification exams. In the case of NALA, paralegals sit for the exam for two and a half days taking a test. It's also very hard to pass this exam. If the paralegal does pass, they can use the letters CLA (Certified Legal Assistant) or CP (Certified Paralegal) after their name. The ABA does not issue any designation or letters that you can use after your name. That's because they don't offer certification and you did not sit for a certification exam.

Generally, what paralegals mistakenly refer to as "ABA Certified Paralegal" is the certificate that they were given upon completion of paralegal school. This is entirely different from certification. A certificate from paralegal school is a Certificate of Completion. The paralegal school these paralegals attended has been approved by the ABA. Out of approximately 1500 or so paralegal schools in the U.S., only about 280 have been approved by the ABA. The school must meet certain qualifications set down by the ABA in order to gain approval. When a student completes the 4 month, 2 year or 4 year program, they are given a certificate of completion. They are not certified.

The reason I am pointing this out is that I just witnessed a paralegal who was passed up for a very good job because she wrote "ABA Certified Paralegal" on her resume. The firm decided that if this paralegal did not know the difference between "certified" and "certificated", she wasn't smart enough to join the firm. Ouch! It was a shame because the message to the paralegal was not only did she not know the difference, she hadn't take the time to find out. Make that 0 points in her job hunting file. Resumes are often reviewed by hiring paralegals who do know the difference and it's offensive to some when they see otherwise good paralegals make this common mistake.

So, those of you who are adding "ABA Certified Paralegal" to your resume, LinkedIn profile, Facebook, or telling people verbally, STOP! The best way to write it is:

May 17, 2012

We all start out headed in one direction, and darn it, if we don’t end up in another.

There are estimates that people have three to five completely different careers in one lifetime. That’s a lot of time invested when including the decision-making process, transition time, learning curve and years to gain a little experience.

Let’s introduce the concept of career-changing rather than changing careers. This means taking charge of your present career and changing it to best suit your needs. Change is hard. I should know. Starting out in paralegal management years ago, becoming an entrepreneur; moving as an executive to a $5 billion corporation; exec in an $80 million company; then back to entrepreneur, all the while staying in the legal field, I created a pattern of pushing change on myself rather than opting for a secure road. There were no “accidental” jobs.

Leveraging your background is always a good strategy. I am relieved I didn’t take my mother’sadvice to be an elementary school teacher to have “something to fall back on, just in case.” Geez, for additional insurance, she wanted me to marry a dentist – in the Valley – with a pool, and yeah, a guesthouse in the back. <sigh> Things were different back then.

Twenty years in the legal field taught me to listen closely to those desiring “something new, something different”. “Something different” is about creating an emotion people can get excited about instead of routine and repetitious duties. Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen a legal professional get energized about a job in order to put more profit in a partner’s pocket. However, when I suggest a change to an organization where a legal professional makes real difference, faces light up.

A career move may be complex. You may say you want to make a difference but in truth, only want something beyond the tedium. As stops come up and fear of the unknown sets in, commitment to radical change becomes hampered in reality. You may only be trying on the idea for size. Behonest. Are you committing to exploration or are you committing to change? Or, are you just fooling around? What you commit to will have a profound effect on the outcome.

It’s okay if you don’t know in what direction to head. Here is an opportunity to use your fact-finding skills to make an intelligent decision about your next career move.Strategy #1: Leverage your prior work experience so that it is strategically aligned with anticipated changes. What you do now affects your future position. This may mean a new practicespecialty; transfer from law firm to in-house legal department or government; an “up and out” leap to a related area such as litigation support, recruiting or marketing; a climb up the ladder to management, vendor or teaching position.

Strategy #2: Take baby steps. Plans for big successes often result in big failures. Chop up the path to your goal into small, palatable steps. Simplify your process and your self-esteem will zoom each accomplished step.

Strategy #3: Research your goals. Understand where you’re headed along with the impact it will have on your career and personal life. Change can be frightening, so keep the road positive. Experiencing anxiety does not mean you made the wrong decision. Keep the transition simple and don’t compound problems. For example, if you are considering switching jobs, don’t quit your current position until you’ve found another. Maybe you can tough it out. With proper research and flexible plan, you’re in the home stretch.

Strategy #4: Put structure into your plan. Identify what works. Get a flexible plan with a checklist. Find someone to talk to with good input and another viewpoint. Choose wisely, though. Negative Nancys can kill the best formulated plans.

Strategy #5: Impulsivity lacks deliberateness and can cause setbacks. Go slowly. Create a bridge to your career change. You might hold on to your current situation; take a hiatus or back-to-school break. Consider a transition job while implementing your strategy.

Strategy #6: As you reach your goal, your new world begins but it can’t happen by itself. You have to work at it. In my situation, I started two adventures: a legal professional training company and the Organization of Legal Professionals, creating a fresh career path. (Hmmmm…..In the back of my mind, was I somehow listening to my mother?)

Changes for me included: how, where and with whom I work; hours I put in; less stress; much more creativity and increased intellectual stimulation. Oh, and there is one major factor: I’m having agreat time.

Career changing, while risky, can be exhilarating, stimulating and overwhelming at the same time. The legal world around us has changed significantly in just a few years. To keep up or even just to stay in it, we all need change. The most profound thing you can do for your career is to discover and lead a truly authentic life by bringing the best of who you are to whatever you choose to do.

Estrin Books

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One comes away from the book with a sense of what's possible.
Caution: Reading this book will make you giddy with enthusiasm

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